But the head of EA's sports division denies that's the case, instead touting the company's longtime partnerships with both hardware manufacturers.

Long-term relations

"We have relationships with both companies that go back many, many years, so I think that what you saw [from Microsoft at Gamescom] was, just from a phasing perspective, you saw a little bit more of the Microsoft stuff," EA Chief Operating Officer Peter Moore, a former Microsoft executive, told Gamesindustry International this week.

Moore claimed Microsoft is likely using such exclusives as a way to "catch up" with Sony in Europe, where the Xbox platform still plays second fiddle to PlayStation.

"I don't think that we're favoring one over the other, we love them both dearly. It's important to the publishing community that both are very successful and I think they will be very successful."

The EA executive also suggested PlayStation 4-specific "partnership opportunities" could be forthcoming in the near future, confirming both Sony and Microsoft have aggressively pursued content from the publisher.